tigrred

User Map

Reviews

Depending on what you want in a campground, you may enjoy Blanding Landing. It is remote with pretty river views. (Don't look to the South where the big fence for the Savana Army Depot says RESTRICTED.) The road in is not big rig user friendly, although the park has plenty of room. The location is north of Hanover, Illinois and SW of Galena, Ill. There is a road w/signs coming from either direction: but they are both narrow, hilly, curves and low branches. There was a camp host. The bathrooms, playground and the entire park was immaculate. The sites are grass, some are flat, some are not. There are plenty of water stations and space between sites. Early in the week we were one of only 3 campers. The boat landing is very good with lots of parking, the weekends pick up: but even on a beautiful Labor Day weekend, there were at least 5 spots still available. There are trains that run fast and often through out the day/night near the back of the park. We parked closer to the river and after a day we didn't notice the trains much. I would rate this higher, but the roads in can be a challenge, especially if you meet someone coming in as you are heading out. Although it's only 15-20 miles from a nearby town, it seems much longer.

This campground is VERY family friendly and the owners couldn't be more helpful. The camping area is large, flat and grassy with shade available. There are 2 cabins that can be rented. The sites are huge and the area is quiet enough to hear the river running beside the campground. Canoes and kayaks are available to rent and the owners will shuttle. If you paddle the Upper Iowa River try to come out of the river in the late afternoon so you can relax at your site and watch the eagles that soar above the scenic bluff that overlooks the campground.

The campground is not near the lake, it's quite a drive to the lake. The lake on the map looks much larger than it is, and the fee to "use" the lake is $24 per person per day, or $48 for the season. This is not included in the price of the campground. The hosts were nice, and the area is clean but shade is minimal and we were there in 100+ heat in July. We saw NO children or pets outside most likely due to the heat, although there were a lot of deer in the evenings. I would rate this as a 5 but the "surprise fee" to use the lake was not clearly stated anywhere on signs or in brochures. The Ranger however was there to send you to the marina store to purchase the permit/pass, and the pass only applies to this lake.